Michelle Edwards

Michelle Edwards is the author/illustrator of one book for adults, and many books for children, including Stinky Stern Forever (Gryphon Award), and Chicken Man (National Jewish Book Award). Her illustrations have appeared in Ladybug, Cricket and Spider, and in shows of children’s book art, most recently, Monsters and Miracles: A Journey through Jewish Picture Books, at the Skirball Cultural Center.

Michelle has collected eggs from a kibbutz chicken coop, set type, printed, and bound her own letterpress books, printed etchings and lithographs in studios from Israel to Iowa, delivered lab specimens, and knit piles of sweaters, socks, mittens, and hats. These days she loves to work in her studio on new ideas and share her creative process and stories in schools across the United States and beyond.

With her broad based background and her visually detailed presentations, Michelle brings to her author visits a deep knowledge of how ideas are developed into stories, how images can be innovated to illustrate the story, and how the story and image then work together as a book. In addition to her PowerPoint, Michelle sets a display table of relevant ‘please ask, please touch’ materials to spark and guide a lively Question and Answer discussion.

Michelle was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and grew up in Troy, New York. A mother of three adult daughters, she now lives in Iowa City with her husband.